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Topic: Looking for a 30F class A with lots of countertop space (Read 1472 times)

After seeing hundreds of floorplans in the last weeks, we came up with these criteria for our first class A, in which we should spend winter months (we're two soon-to-be snowbirds)

1) 30F (31 is ok but not more)2) large kitchen countertop (we love to cook). Not talking about the space you get when you put a cover over the sink, though. Real countertop space.3) oven4) rectangular single sink (two sinks is unpractical in our opinion and it looks like if round sinks are less roomy than their rectangular equivalent)5) at least 1 slide, 2 even better6) we don't need a king bed7) real shower door and not the accordion type.8 kitchen TV on the upper cabinet i.e. not hiding inside the lower cabinet (you loose countertop space)9) living room couch that is reclining

We didn't find any that had all these criteria but one that comes close is 2017 Thor Ace 30-3

Would you have any suggestion besides this one?Thanks

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Two French-speaking ladies and their dog.Counting sleeps until retirement.Low on money but high on ideas for our golden years

Is there a reason that you don't want to go bigger? Why?It's pretty common for a new owner to go on the small side thinking they can't or don't want to handle a large vehicle.Many times they end up upgrading over and over and that gets expensive. Buy bigger then you think you will need.Very few people downsize when changing units.

Are you 1st time buyers of a MH?We almost always recommend buying used especially for the 1st time.You stated a 2017 came close - But you could get much more in a 10 year old MH for less money.New units have their share of problems from the beginning - whereas a used unit has those taken care of most of the time.

We started with a 33' MH and found it to be too small for long duration trips, greater than 3 months. Upgraded to a 38' ad fund it to be adequate but realized we should have gone for a 40' one after a couple of years. We chose to modify our life style while in the RV so continued with the 38' MH till we retired from RVing in the last years or so. Think carefully and be sure to go to RV shows and dealers and visualize actually living in the ones you examine. It is surprising how much you will change your view on what is necessary and what you can live with on extended travel.

2) Not many 30 foot motorhomes are going to have much galley counter space and storage for what you need. Our 1999 34' Monaco Windsor had a decent galley with a nice surface for food preparation and good storage for both utensils and food. That was a big selling point for us. Not sure why you want to avoid anything over 30-31 feet, but those few feet can make a huge difference in livability, especially in the galley area. When I look at some of the new 40 footers and compare them to our 40 footer they're putting in two huge sofas and lessening galley counter space. Personally, I'd ditch the sofas in favor of a better galley but, as they say, to each their own.

3. I'm one who prefers both a convection/microwave and a propane oven. I often use both in the same meal preparation and can't imagine depending on just a convection/microwave which is the current trend. Of course, when you add an oven you give up storage space so there's a big tradeoff there.

4) Don't agree with you on a single kitchen sink. We/I wouldn't have one without a double sink and the round ones are just plain stupid; they're useless. Been RVing for 40+ years so the Voice of Experience is speaking. When you're boondocking you'll want one sink with soapy water and another one with rinse water to conserve water. After a trip, cleaning the refrigerator components would be a pain with only one sink. We ordered two deep sinks with our last two motorhomes. The current arrangement has a Corian counter with molded-in Corian sinks and I love it. Same in the bathroom.

5) Two slides are much more livable than one slide, but 3-4 would be more than we need. It really depends on the floor plan and how much you like to "sprawl".

6) You're not going to find many king size beds in small Class As.

7) Accordion-style shower doors aren't very popular these days but I agree with you on wanting a real shower door.

8. Kitchen TV. If you get an older model they'll probably have only one somewhere up front. I kind of doubt you'll find a kitchen TV in smaller motorhomes. I wouldn't want one in the galley because it would take space away for storage of food and cooking items. One up front is probably adequate.

9) Not sure if you mean the entire couch reclines, if it's a divided couch with reclining chairs, or if you mean a folding couch that opens out for sleeping (the norm). Remember that things like recliners take up a lot of floor space. We have an Ekornes reclining chair ($$$ but Jerry is worth it!). They come in 3 widths. Jerry's slender so we got the medium width so it takes less space.

Take a look at this video, it is a near twin of my coach, note there are several salesman mistakes, including the actual length which is 29'3" bumper to bumper. Mine has even been retrofitted with a J-sofa with built in recliner. Though it has no slides, there is a lose sister model that started production in 2004 with slides, it is the Safari Trek 29RBD actual length on it is about 31 ft bumper to bumper.

My wife and I live full time very comfortably in a 34' Class A with a single 14' "super slide" in the living area. When we need more cooking space than the modest amount available in the galley, we simply use the dinette table for more prep space. We've even managed a Thanksgiving dinner for 6 people with an 18 lb turkey and all the usual sides without any undue stress. Like Ardra, we much prefer the double sink in our current coach versus the single sink we had in our previous coach.

I'm one who prefers both a convection/microwave and a propane oven. I often use both in the same meal preparation and can't imagine depending on just a convection/microwave which is the current trend. Of course, when you add an oven you give up storage space so there's a big tradeoff there.

If by 31, you mean no longer than 31 feet, you'd better bring a tape measure. The model number does not necessarily represent the length. Could be 1-2 feet longer. So a 30 foot motorhome could be 31-31 feet long. Example, a 2013 Tiffin Allegro 31SA is 33.5 feet long.

My 5320 Dolphin is 33.9 and I thought it was 32 ft. I haven't seen a 30 ft coach with much counter space at all, and most all have a double sink. I think you're going to have a tuff time finding what you want in a 30 ft coach. I don't notice any handling difference between my dolphin and my 30 ft Challenger, except it has a better ride.

I've been trying to convince my GF that a Sprinter is way to small and that a 24 footer is a minimum. After reading advice here, i'm slowing convincing her that 30 feet would be better. I don't want to push my luck and try to sell her the idea of a 35 feet MH.

Also, since we'll somehow be on a budget we are afraid that a 30 feet MH will use more gas than a 24F Class C. Is that the case?

4) Don't agree with you on a single kitchen sink. We/I wouldn't have one without a double sink and the round ones are just plain stupid; they're useless. Been RVing for 40+ years so the Voice of Experience is speaking. When you're boondocking you'll want one sink with soapy water and another one with rinse water to conserve water.

You have a point here, since we expect to be boondocking quite a bit.

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We ordered two deep sinks with our last two motorhomes.

From your rv dealer? As an upgrade? That's interesting. Any link that I could check?

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The current arrangement has a Corian counter with molded-in Corian sinks and I love it.

Tell her to think of it this way they both are big boxes trying to push a similar size hole in the air, wind resistance is a big factor in fuel economy for a coach, the hole is almost the same size regardless if the coach is 24 or 40 ft long, just the longer coach weighs more so there is more rolling resistance.

p.s. if a single well sink is a must have over a double well, most cabinet shops could probably adapt an existing coach to a bigger single well sink. Having said that I like the double well molded sink and corian counter top, it works out much better than a single well when it comes time to do dishes by hand.

Numbers in the abstract are pretty hard to argue. I think you need to find a 30' and a 34' motorhome and then compare how much roomier the extra four feet is. Also, another point for going bigger is that when you add 4' to the living space, you also add 4' to the storage space both in the living space and in the "basement" storage space.

And I am guessing the extra 4 feet would cost you even less than 10% more in gasoline.

p.s. if a single well sink is a must have over a double well, most cabinet shops could probably adapt an existing coach to a bigger single well sink. Having said that I like the double well molded sink and corian counter top, it works out much better than a single well when it comes time to do dishes by hand.

Ike

This is an excellent point, particularly when shopping for used RV's. If a layout, size, driveline, etc, otherwise meets your needs, consider what the feasibility and costs would be to remodel the items that don't meet your requirements. If the total stays within your budget, then the unit is still a good candidate. On a previous coach for example, we liked it well enough overall, but didn't like having two opposing sofas in the living area. For about $400, we took the shorter sofa out and replaced it with a rocker/recliner and a flip up table/cabinet that became my wife's "office". In our current coach, we didn't like the shower door it came with, so I replaced it with a more modern one that functions better, is easier to clean, and lightens up the shower space. There have been other mods along the way in all our RV's as well of course, such as upgrading the storage tank monitors to reliable SeeLevel II systems that read in percentages, upgrading rear view cameras, TV's, etc. The point being that there are many mods that aren't all that expensive that can be done to make an RV "yours" short of custom ordering from the manufacturer.

I've been trying to convince my GF that a Sprinter is way to small and that a 24 footer is a minimum. After reading advice here, i'm slowing convincing her that 30 feet would be better. I don't want to push my luck and try to sell her the idea of a 35 feet MH.

If you get a 30 footer be prepared to trade it in within a year. I live by myself in a 33 foot fiver with three slides and three cats and it is just about the right size. My 32 foot class A with no slides was way too small. You should rent a 35 footer and spend a weekend camping in it and see if she doesn't change her mind.

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Also, since we'll somehow be on a budget we are afraid that a 30 feet MH will use more gas than a 24F Class C. Is that the case?

No it is not the case. Length has nothing to do with gas mileage, width is the factor. Since all RVs have essentially the same footprint in a wind tunnel they all get roughly the same mileage.

Width, height, and weight does affect fuel mileage. I went to a taller, wider, heavier coach with the one I have now and noticed a drop in fuel economy. I like the extra room provided in the larger coach and wouldn't go back just to get better fuel mileage. I was one whom didn't want to go with a larger coach, had a 30 ft coach for 7 years, and was happy with it. My late wife wanted a larger coach with a larger bathroom and slides, so that is what we bought. She passed before we could even use it together, but I couldn't see myself going back to a 30 fter now. The 34 ft coach is no harder to drive and actually rides better than my older coach. It gets about 1 mpg less fuel mileage.

You are hung up on a short coach and you can't/won't be able to tell the difference when driving between a 30 ft. and 38 ft. How ever there is a world of difference in usable space.I linked to the coach above because I have this exact coach except my coach is an 03 not an 05. If you need recliners it is easy to pull the couch or loveseat out and add them. The other thing to note this coach is cheaper than the one you posted about by nearly 1/2. Bill

Good choice Bill, it has about as much counter space as you will ever find in an RV.

One of the great things about this model is the duel slides in the front. When the slides in you can still get to everything this is important if you are just stopping for lunch or taking a break. With the slides out you have a lot of space, more than some apartments I have ben in. Bill

And how were you able to decide that the length and weight had anything to do with the gas mileage change?

Never said length had anything to do with fuel mileage. However, every vehicle I have ever owned got poorer fuel mileage when loaded, so I assumed that this coach that weighs 4000 lbs more than my last one is part of the reason it gets poorer fuel mileage. Weight DOES have an affect on fuel mileage, whether you think it does or not.

Wish this wasn't true but it is. Just swapped toads and am now pulling one that weighs about 1000# more (haven't weighed it yet numbers). Huge difference in how it feels behind the coach, and a big hit on performance (hill climbs are even more... leisurely ). And based on preliminary results from a 3000 trip looks like we're down a solid 6% to as much as 10% on MPG.

And I'll bet that truck has a higher coefficient of drag and likely more frontal area than the previous toad. Weight does matter, particularly when climbing hills, but drag is still the dominant factor!

And I'll bet that truck has a higher coefficient of drag and likely more frontal area than the previous toad. Weight does matter, particularly when climbing hills, but drag is still the dominant factor!

Drag is certainly a big deal but Iím thinking itís mostly about weight in my case (with regard to the bigger toad) as the truck sits right behind the coach and isnít pushing much air

Weight is a major factor in going uphill, but also in acceleration, when it comes to fuel usage. So yes, there'd be some mileage reduction from that extra weight, though overall the drag (primarily the frontal area of the motorhome) is still the largest factor (drag increases with the square of the speed increase) for mileage.